Millennial here. Quickly approaching my 10 year wedding anniversary. Mother to 3 wonderful children.
I remember my peers 10 years ago asking me if I was sure I was making the right decision to get married. Implying that I should wait and have fun in my 20's.
Absolutely no regrets.
My husband and I grew up together in our relationship. Stronger together than ever before.
This hits close to my heart.. I have a little one close in age... I pray for the parents and the child.
The home birth was without pitocin. Now that I think about it I'm pretty sure they give you that with or without the epidural if you are in the hospital. If you do get an epidural they will increase the flow of the IV bag to move the process along. That is what makes the contractions more intense.
Contractions come without the use of pitocin. When they start is all up to your baby, and when they are ready to be born. I think most women start having contractions before their water breaks, but the opposite can happen as well.
If it's your first baby, labor can take a bit longer compared to a second or third pregnancy. The ring of fire is intense... Breathing and staying calm is important. Midwives are pretty good at keeping their moms calm during that point in labor.
God bless you and your spouse! Whatever you two decide I pray that you both are safe and happy during the experience. Pregnancy seems like a never ending process, but it's a short lived experience to cherish. Once your baby is born there is such a wonderful sense of awe and peace. Finally getting to see the little person you have come to know while pregnant is hard to explain. You love that baby before you even know who they are or what they look like.
If you have any more questions you can send me a message!
The epidural was most effective during my first labor and delivery. I didn't know what contractions were going to feel like, so I was a bit nervous. If you decide to get an epidural you are given an IV bag of pitocin to encourage contractions. Pitocin tends to make contractions a lot stronger. After my first child was born I understood what contractions felt like. They could be described as really intense cramping and pressure.
I did get an epidural the second time around as well.. My second labor went a lot faster, so I don't think the epidural went into full effect by the time I needed to push. I felt a lot more that time, and didn't think it was as bad as it is made out to be.
After that experience I decided that if there was a next time that I would skip the epidural all together. I honestly wasn't planning on going to a midwife or delivering at home with my 3rd child, but I had a change of heart last year when all the lockdowns started happening.
Everyone handles pain differently... That being said contractions are not the worst pain I have experienced. The pain that comes with contractions serves a purpose (child birth). The more intense contractions become that is usually a good sign that it's almost over.
I personally believe that fear can cause contractions to feel a lot worse. If this last year has taught me anything is that fear can make people act out in a negative ways (whether or not the threat is real). This last year has also made me look at medicine and doctors a lot differently. How people are just seen as a problem that needs to be fixed in the shortest amount of time possible. The symptoms seem to get the attention rather than actually treating the source of the problem. I guess you could say that I don't always "trust the science".
Sorry it took me awhile to respond.. I hope this answers your questions.
You're welcome!
I did have an epidural with my previous pregnancies, and went without any pain medication when I gave birth at home.
I could still feel contractions even with an epidural. I think going without one helped me gauge and understand what stage I was in during labor.
Sure! I would first find a local midwife. Schedule an interview with her, and ask any questions or voice concerns you might have. There is a good chance that the midwife you are talking to has experienced many different scenarios with delivering a baby. Midwives do come with some medical equipment when at a home birth. The only thing that they don't offer is the epidural, but they can help with pain management.
Midwives provide the expectant mother a list of materials that will be needed for the the home birth. There are also plenty of videos on youtube of women sharing their experience.
Going into labor is a lot like running a marathon. It's important to focus on your breathing... This will help your muscles stay relaxed. There are plenty of hypnobirthing videos available that offer guided meditation to help during labor. It keeps the mother focused on labor, and keeps your mind clear of any distracting thoughts during contractions.
It's also important to remember that people's attitude towards child birth has often times been influenced by the media (whether they realize it or not). Labor and delivery is not an emergency, and is not scary. The female body is designed to do this.
I gave birth at the hospital with my other children. There is a lot more pressure, stress, and distractions in that environment. What I liked most about giving birth at home is that I was in my own environment. I felt comfortable and safe. I prepared as much as I could before I went into labor that the initial fear I had was gone by the time my baby was born. I hope this helps!
I recently had a home birth because of everything that has been going on for the last year.. Even if everything was back to normal I would still choose to give birth at home.
This has always been the line for me. I knew from the beginning of all this "pandemic" garbage that kids were the main target. First it was masks and lockdowns. Now it's this poison. These monsters always go after the innocent.